Mastodon State Historic Site - Atlas Obscura
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Mastodon State Historic Site

Imperial, Missouri

More than 12,000 years ago, this park was a playground for mastodons. 

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A display at Mastodon State Historic Site. mostateparks (Public Domain)
A display at Mastodon State Historic Site. mostateparks (Public Domain)
Maston skeleton mostateparks (Public Domain)
Maston skeleton Kevin Saff / CC BY 2.0
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Mastodon State Historic Site is a publicly owned, 431-acre archaeological and paleontological site with recreational features in Imperial, Missouri, maintained by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, preserving the Kimmswick Bone Bed. It’s where paleontologists uncovered some of the earliest evidence proving that humans and mastodons once coexisted in what is now North America.

Bones of mastodons and other now-extinct animals were first found here in the early 19th century. The area gained fame as one of the most extensive Pleistocene ice age deposits in the country and attracted scientific interest worldwide.

state parks paleontology skeletons fossils archaeology
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Michael Reinhardt
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Michael Reinhardt
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January 9, 2024
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